


Scales and Feathers (Tails in Tethers)

by Star_Going_Supernova



Category: Godzilla (2014), Godzilla: King of The Monsters (2019)
Genre: (when they won't spoil things), Alternate Universe - Daemons, Angst, Bonds, Daemon Character Injury (missing limb), Gen, Non-Canonical Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Recovery, they're kinda daemons anyway, very specific kinds of the bird to dragon and back sort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:36:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26999041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_Going_Supernova/pseuds/Star_Going_Supernova
Summary: As another terrifying screech tore through the air, Maddie whimpered and closed her eyes. Only the soft brush of feathers against her cheek kept her from losing her grip on reality.(aself-indulgentdaemon-esque AU where everyone has a bird companion that doubles as a dragon)
Relationships: Andrew Russell & Madison Russell, Andrew Russell & Vivienne Graham, Vivienne Graham & Madison Russell
Comments: 77
Kudos: 53





	1. San Francisco, 2014

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Anyone ask for a story in which the concept of daemons crosses over with dragon friends from httyd which crosses over with the [amazing dragon art of oursecret87](https://oursecret87.tumblr.com/post/627831559609810945) on tumblr? No? Well too bad, you’re getting one anyway. And if all that didn’t explain the AU enough, I’m sure you’ll catch on pretty quick. 
> 
> title from “Turn the Lights Off” by Tally Hall
> 
> Hope y’all enjoy!

Maddie cried out as she tripped and fell to her hands and knees. The smoke stung her eyes and the bits of broken debris and shattered glass cut into her palms. Fresh tears blurred her vision.

When she glanced up, the hazy forms of her parents and brother had vanished into the darkness. She nearly curled up right there on the concrete, too tired and hurting and scared and lost to get up again.

As another terrifying screech tore through the air, Maddie whimpered and closed her eyes. Only the soft brush of feathers against her cheek kept her from losing her grip on reality. She shakily got to her feet and stumbled forward, one hand raising to press against Quinn, huddled on her shoulder in the form of a bright-beaked finch.

“Mom,” Maddie tried to call, only for a quiet croak to emerge instead. She tried again. “Mom!”

There was wordless screaming in the distance, and the sickening roars of heart-dragons dying with their humans. She tried to listen for her name, for anything that wasn’t a tortured cry, but there was nothing.

“Mom! Dad!”

Quinn peeped nervously and dared to flutter into the air to try and gain a better view. The smoke was too thick, though.

“Andrew!”

Twisting into a hawk’s form, Quinn beat her wings and circled low around Maddie, trying to find someone, anyone. They moved in the direction Maddie was sure her family had disappeared into, dodging fires and overturned cars and giant chunks of concrete as she went.

A booming, echoing roar from so close— _too_ close—had her doubling over, clapping her hands over her ears. It seemed to go on forever, and then there was silvery-blue light and the crumbling sounds of a building beginning to collapse. Heavy footsteps vibrated up Maddie’s legs, and she looked up just in time to see a wave of rubble falling toward her.

Her scream caught in her throat and she flinched away, eyes squeezed shut. Quinn’s trembling screech cut out, a fierce howl taking its place. Talons wrapped around Maddie’s upper arms, quickly but gently sliding between them and her body.

The ground fell away beneath her and San Francisco trembled with yet more devastation. Maddie’s eyes popped open and she stared in stunned shock down, past her filthy sneakers, at the place where she’d been standing. It was entirely covered by a small mountain of debris that should have buried her.

And Quinn—

There was a rumbling bellow from directly above her, and then they were slowly spiraling down. Maddie stumbled on the landing, trembling mightily as she was, and her legs gave out. She sat with her knees bent on either side of herself and looked up in awe at the heart-dragon standing before her.

[Quinn](https://oursecret87.tumblr.com/post/627831559609810945) was predominantly blue and dark gray, with silvery white accents. Her massive, feathered wings bore thick stripes of those colors, and the blue-tipped feathers on her long tail puffed up as she swept it back and forth. More stood up like a mohawk down her head and neck, and dark gray patterns swirled along her sides and the fronts of her forelegs. She was perhaps the size of a lion, though slimmer and with taller, leaner legs.

The only deviation from those colors was the brilliant golden-amber of Quinn’s pupil-less eyes.

Her talons clacked against the concrete as she circled around to bend her forehead to Maddie’s. “A bluejay,” she whispered. “You’re a bluejay, Quinn!”

A steady joy warmed the bond between them before a tremor passed through the ground. Determined focus replaced the happiness. They could celebrate later, when they weren’t in danger of being crushed or something.

Quinn stepped back and gave her feathered mane a shake. Her wordless prompting encouraged Maddie to her feet. Her heart-dragon kneeled forward so she could climb onto her back, tucking her knees up to avoid getting in the way of Quinn’s wings.

They took to the dark sky. Other heart-dragons wheeled around through the smoke across the city, some accompanied by their humans, while some, wailing mournfully, flew alone. Maddie hunched over and clutched at the base of Quinn’s mane, right where it ended and the smooth, pebbly scales of her body began. Her vision blurred. They all sounded so sad.

A blur to her right surged up and over them to intercept Quinn’s steady path over the rubble. Through her tears, the ash-stained white and varied browns resolved into her mother’s barn owl heart-dragon. Mercy flared her large wings with a haunting cry before twisting around to dive downwards.

Quinn followed much more carefully, touching down behind Mom’s heart-dragon with barely a bump. Maddie hesitated to get off, until Mercy shifted to the side, revealing the rest of Maddie’s family.

She toppled off Quinn, breathless with the fear swirling through her. Stumbling over the rubble, Maddie met her Mom’s eyes from where she was hunched over two bodies. Only one, from what Maddie could see, was moving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect Chapter 2 this Friday! I looove dragons and I honestly can't believe I haven't written anything with dragons before. This story is _meant_ to be made up of small snippets with likely time-skips between them. 
> 
> Hopefully the way the sort-of-daemons work made sense! Love y'all!! 
> 
> • [my tumblr](https://star-going-supernova.tumblr.com) •


	2. Boston, 2014

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry in advance, lol. Hope y’all enjoy!

Maddie slowly stroked over Quinn’s tiny feathered head, content in her blanket burrito on the couch. Her heart-dragon—in bird form, of course—chirped happily. The movie she and Aunt Viv had decided on a few minutes ago was queued up on the TV in front of her, and the microwave was humming along in the kitchen. The apartment would smell like popcorn soon.

A quick buzz sounded in her ear as Aunt Viv’s heart-dragon, a beautiful little hummingbird, zoomed over to land on Maddie’s shoulder. Aria peeped and shuffled closer to Maddie’s neck. She giggled at the ticklish brush of feathers.

The ceiling creaked overhead, and a moment later, she heard footsteps descending the stairs. Maddie sighed in disappointment. It was only one set, not two.

Aunt Viv turned the corner and smiled at her, though she wasn’t quick enough to completely hide her sorrowful frown. “It’ll be just the two of us tonight, my dear,” she said softly.

_Again_ , neither of them said.

Maddie smiled anyway, and even managed to hold it when the microwave beeped and Aunt Viv left to grab the popcorn. “Do you think he’ll ever come down?” she whispered to Quinn.

Quinn deflated a bit. “Someday, yes. But I fear that day may not be for a while yet. Your brother is hurting terribly, Dove.”

“But how’s he gonna get better when he lays around in bed all day?” She quickly double-checked to make sure Aunt Viv was still busy in the kitchen. Dishes clattered around on the counter. “I miss Dad too, but I haven’t…” _Given up like him,_ she just couldn’t bring herself to finish. 

Aria peeped again and fluttered over to perch on the blanket beside Quinn. Though Maddie couldn’t hear what she said, Quinn could. Displeasure and indecisiveness coursed over their bond in reaction to whatever Aunt Viv’s heart-dragon was telling her.

She fidgeted restlessly, trying to block out the unpleasant feelings. “Quinn?”

Her heart-dragon’s hesitation was a heavy weight on Maddie’s own tongue. “It is more complicated,” Quinn finally said, slow and serious and still so reluctant, “than Andrew only mourning your father. You remember how long he stayed in the hospital, even though your mother said his injuries were not so serious?”

Maddie nodded. It’d been almost three weeks after San Francisco before Andrew had come home. By then, Mom had gone from quiet and sad to never home and presumably still sad. Aunt Viv had more or less moved in around then, and Dr. Serizawa had spent a week and a half taking Maddie out of the apartment for the day.

She’d seen her brother _twice_ since he’d left the hospital, and once was only because she happened to walk by his bedroom at the same time Aunt Viv had been leaving it, allowing her to glimpse Andrew’s pale face through the crack before the door had closed.

Quinn and Aria exchanged a glance. They must’ve been arguing, by the way they puffed their feathers up at each other.

Unwilling to be distracted from the conversation, Maddie interrupted their unheard conversation. “Is the reason he was in the hospital the same reason why he won’t leave his room?”

After a moment of silence, Quinn answered, “Yes. And I am sorry, Dove, but I cannot share the details with you.”

Maddie looked at Aria. Her unblinking iridescent white eyes stared back, as solemn as a hummingbird could be. “Is this a ‘we’ll tell you when you’re older’ thing?”

Both heart-dragons bobbed their heads.

“Can you at least tell me if he’ll get better?”

Quinn pushed her head into Maddie’s palm. “Yes, Dove. He will get better eventually. He simply needs time.”

Aunt Viv walked out of the kitchen then, and Maddie let the conversation go. She wiggled around until she was leaning against Aunt Viv’s side instead of the couch’s armrest, with the big bowl of popcorn and chocolate chunks settled between them.

• • •

The numbness, even after more than a month, still felt unfamiliar. The doctors reassured him that it was better than the burning pain of a truly severed bond. Andrew, dull-eyed and exhausted, was skeptical.

Beside his pillow, Ender twitched in his sleep. Andrew traced the shape of his heart-dragon with his eyes, feeling like his every limb weighed a ton. Sleep tugged at his fuzzy brain, but he was so _tired_ of sleeping. No matter how much rest he got, he never felt anything more than utterly drained.

The black of Ender’s magpie form stood out against the white sheets. The blue-green sheen on the dark parts of his wing feathers was hard to see in the dim light of his bedroom, but it was there. The white of his body and outer feathers was bright and pristine.

Andrew wanted to close his eyes and wish this was all a nightmare. But his dreams were full of flying, full of falling, full of ripping and tearing and shrieking, and when he squeezed his eyes shut, the empty space where Ender’s right wing used to be remained seared into his eyelids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided on “Scales and Feathers” for the title on my own, but I was like, “oooh, pretty sure that’s a lyric from Turn the Lights Off” and it was, but it was generic enough that I wasn’t going to mention anything, BUT THEN, I saw the next line “Tails in Tethers” and YEAH, I know Ender’s missing his wing, not his tail, but it was _too perfect_ so here we are.
> 
> You guys are the bee's knees!
> 
> • [my tumblr](https://star-going-supernova.tumblr.com) •


	3. Florida, 2014 (1/3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reference, the house is practically the same as the one from _domestication_. I love this AU, and the short chapters really help get me motivated to work on bigger projects. 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy!

Maddie didn’t know how long it’d been since Mom had been home. Or at least, with them, because they weren’t at home anymore. Aunt Viv had brought them to Florida a few weeks ago, claiming a change in scenery and some lovely weather would help Andrew’s recovery.

Privately, Maddie didn’t know how a beach could help her brother stop feeling awful about his heart-dragon losing a wing.

The day she had found out, by accidentally stumbling upon Andrew as he was leaving the bathroom early one morning, she had curled up in her own bed, Quinn held protectively to her chest, and desperately tried and failed not to think about how easily something similar could have happened to her.

She’d had a few nightmares since then. And if _she_ was having bad dreams, she couldn’t imagine how terribly Andrew must have been sleeping.

But that was _ages_ ago, and the house was nice but so quiet and empty, and sometimes Maddie almost forgot that Mom hadn’t died too, that it was only Dad they’d had to bury. And Aunt Viv was doing her best, but she had an important job, and neither she nor any of the doctors had been able to help Andrew.

So most days, Maddie was left to her own devices, and there were only so many times she and Quinn could look for sea shells at the beach behind the house.

Today, Maddie decided quite firmly, would be different. With Quinn in her dragon form, they dragged blankets and pillows out to the grass and built a nest of sorts in the shade of the biggest tree. Then, she raided the kitchen. After giving the blanket pile her seal of approval, she marched up the stairs to Andrew’s bedroom, Quinn in her customary place on her shoulder.

 _Technically,_ they weren’t supposed to go in. But Maddie knew her brother, and Quinn had quietly described what it might be like to lose a wing, so she was sure Andrew needed a push. A gentle one. Barely a nudge.

That being said, she was prepared to order Quinn to pick him up by his shirt and carry him downstairs if he refused to cooperate.

It was the perfect time to do this. Aunt Viv was busy in her office, and when Aunt Viv got _really_ focused on something, it took a lot to get her attention. Maddie knocked three times and didn’t bother waiting for an answer.

Ender was awake when she pushed the door open, and Andrew was either sleeping restlessly, or trying to pretend he was asleep and doing a very bad job of it.

Planting herself near her brother’s head, Maddie crossed her arms over her chest and announced, “You better have pants on, because we’re going outside.”

After a long pause—perhaps he was hoping she would leave if he didn’t react—Andrew groaned pitifully and peeked up at her with one eye.

“You look like a ghost,” she told him. And he did, too. She’d never seen her brother so pale, and his eyes were all sunken and red with dark crescents below them. His hair was long and tangled and gross, and frankly, he smelled. The whole room did.

Andrew groaned again and turned to hide his face in his pillow. “Thanks, Mads,” he mumbled. “Now go away. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Not with that attitude you’re not,” she responded. She’d heard adults say that before, or some version of it, and thought it sounded perfect for the situation.

“Maddie…”

“Shut up, it’s just outside. You can be sad outside, can’t you? I won’t even make you play.” She paused before adding threateningly, “ _Yet._ ”

Ender fluttered his one wing. He was a round little sparrow today, with golden-brown feathers and a pale belly. There wasn’t even a stump or nub where his right wing had been, just empty space. Chirping, he looked back and forth between Andrew and Maddie.

She couldn’t hear what he was saying, obviously, but he certainly seemed a bit less blob-like than her brother, who seemed to be resolutely ignoring her.

“Fine, then I’m taking Ender outside and you can join us when you’re ready.”

It wasn’t polite to just grab other people’s heart-dragons, so she laid her hand on the bed in offering. Ender stretched his wing, chirped again, and awkwardly wobble-hopped into her palm. She curled her fingers and tucked him to her chest.

Andrew raised his head. “Hey! You can’t just—”

Maddie blew a raspberry and turned on her heel. Quinn ruffled her tail feathers before taking off to swoop around the room. “I will wait with him,” she told Maddie as she took a seat in Andrew’s bird-nest hair. “And yes, Dove, I will carry him out if I must.”

“Thanks, Quinn!”

Ender must have really missed being outside, because he perked up the moment the sun fell on his back. He closed his bright red eyes and lifted his face to the sky, his wing lifting as if in flight.

That gave Maddie an idea. “Hang on tight, Ender,” she instructed as she adjusted her grip. Once she was sure she wouldn’t drop him, Maddie took off at a run, holding him above her head.

It wasn’t flying. She knew that. But it was maybe the only thing she could offer him on her own. Quinn would probably be happy to take Andrew and Ender for a ride once her brother was feeling better.

Delighted twittering filled the warm air, and Maddie did her best to run just a little bit faster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is part one of three. The next one will feature more of Andrew’s POV as he finally leaves the house and will be posted this Friday. 
> 
> Last week, I posted a poll asking if y'all wanted a trick or a treat for Halloween, and this Saturday, you'll be getting a very special treat! ;D
> 
> • [my tumblr](https://star-going-supernova.tumblr.com) •


	4. Florida, 2014 (2/3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the interest of being honest, I _might’ve_ teared up while writing part of this chapter. But only a little. 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy!

Andrew stared blankly at the empty doorway. The weight of Quinn on his head shifted and he startled when she warbled at him. Slowly, painfully, he sat up all the way and turned to set his feet on the floor. Standing up felt like too monumental a task to even consider.

Then, a confusing mix of joy and sorrow and hope and heartache twanged down the bond from Ender. Ever so faintly, he could hear his sister’s laughter from outside.

Bolstered by Ender’s emotions and his own curiosity, Andrew pushed himself off the bed. He wobbled for a moment, and Quinn trilled worriedly, but he didn’t fall.

Seeing as how he did have pants on, Andrew took the first shaky step toward the hallway. The second was a little easier, and the third easier still.

He kinda wanted to be mad at Maddie. She’d barged right into his room—typical little sister—demanded he get up and bow to her whims, and then stolen his heart-dragon when he refused. And she told him he looked like a ghost.

So, yeah, he _wanted_ to be mad, but he just couldn’t. He’d been feeling so empty that even that spark of familiar irritation was weirdly refresing. And besides… it _maybe_ felt nice to not be coddled and treated like he was a piece of glass one tap away from shattering.

She’d even picked up Ender, he realized with shock. He stood at the bottom of the staircase, already feeling a little tired, but his surprise trumped that.

People _flinched_ when they saw Ender and his missing wing. Other heart-dragons cooed sadly and avoided him. And no one—not even his _mom_ —had been willing to freely touch Ender since San Francisco.

The frustrated anger over how his heart-dragon had been treated had been just about the only emotion he’d been able to feel, other than the void-empty pit of nothingness. Ender wasn’t _diseased_ , a lost wing wasn’t _contagious_. But injured heart-dragons… he knew the sorts of things people usually associated with them. Kids at school talked, y’know.

Maddie didn’t know. Andrew was sure of that. But his stupid, too-determined sister probably wouldn’t have cared anyway.

He _might_ have been tearing up a little by the time he reached the glass sliding door to the back deck. Andrew managed to take one step onto the wooden planks before Maddie’s laughter drew his attention to the yard.

Quinn left his head in a flurry of panicked chirping when he promptly burst into tears. Andrew’s legs wobbled and gave out, sending him to his knees.

Maddie was running around with Ender held aloft like he was a toy airplane or something, and it looked ridiculous and it obviously wasn’t real flying and maybe adults would scold her for being insensitive, but—she was doing her best. And her best meant Ender was bursting with happy joy and Andrew felt half-hysterical giggles bubbling in his chest for the first time in _weeks_. He let them out, a weird laugh-sob that had Quinn landing on his shoulder to nuzzle against his cheek, but he was _laughing_.

With the loss of Dad and Ender’s wing, and even Mom in her infuriating absence, and then their home in Boston, Andrew hadn’t thought much about what he _hadn’t_ lost.

Maddie pounded up the steps with a silly _vroom_ noise and slowly spun around as she lowered Ender. Andrew raised his hands to form a landing platform, and his sister made a softly screeching break sound as she deposited his heart-dragon in his palms.

Ender—beyond words, apparently—chirped excitedly up at him. Andrew laughed again, and maybe it was a little bit broken, a little bit cracked. That was okay, he decided. He didn’t mind breaking in front of Maddie and Quinn.

He pulled the collar of his t-shirt up to wipe at his cheeks as Quinn fluttered over to Maddie’s left shoulder. “And here I thought I was done crying,” he sheepishly said.

Maddie shrugged with her empty shoulder. “Who says you’ve gotta be done? I still cry.”

Still feeling jelly-legged, Andrew stumbled to his feet. “Stop being the smart one, Mads, that’s my job.”

“Well, I’m taking over until you feel better.” She crossed her arms and the look in her eyes just dared him to protest.

“She makes a better smart one than you,” Ender told him.

Andrew groaned. “You’ve turned my own heart-dragon against me. Fine, fine. You got me outside, Maddie. Now what?”

She bounced on her toes and looked off to the side. “Me and Quinn made a nest, see?” He followed her gaze to an impressive pile of blankets and pillows over by one of the trees. “Now c’mon.” She started to turn to leave the deck, but stopped to hold her hand out.

“Afraid I’ll try and run?” he asked, even as he took it. The warmth of her fingers as they curled around his surprised him. How long had it been since he’d last touched someone else? Maybe when he’d still needed help to get around, too exhausted and weak to move much on his own?

But that was weeks ago…

“You wouldn’t make it far,” Maddie responded, and it sounded like both a promise and a threat. Considering how long he’d been in bed, Andrew had no doubt his little sister could tackle him to the ground if she really wanted to.

He let himself be led down the stairs and into the grass. It’d been so long since he’d stepped barefoot on anything other than carpet and tile that it felt better than he ever would have guessed.

Just before they reached the blanket nest, Andrew tugged Maddie to a stop. She turned and looked up at him in confusion. He swallowed around a lump in his throat and said, “Thanks, Maddie. I mean it. I—I don’t…”

“Hey.” A small smile spread across her face. “Someone’s gotta watch out for you, and I don’t mind if it’s me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Four chapters in and I’ve already gone over a thousand words. That didn’t last long, lol. Part three is them in the nest! 
> 
> Are y'all excited for tomorrow? ;) Love you guys!
> 
> • [my tumblr](https://star-going-supernova.tumblr.com) •


	5. Florida, 2014 (3/3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *intently thinks about heart-dragons instead of the real world* 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy!

Quinn returned to her dragon form and curled up along the edge of the nest, providing something of a backrest for Maddie and Andrew. Ender sat on her head, surrounded by the blue feathers of Quinn’s mane.

They sat in silence for some time, Maddie having run back inside to grab a few books, both content to read in each other’s company. Andrew picked at the bowl of strawberries and Maddie tried not to feel _too_ smug about how successful her self-imposed mission had turned out to be.

It was peaceful, with the distant sound of waves of the beach, and the gentle breeze blowing over them. The air was warm and heavy, mild for a Florida summer day. The whine of cicadas rose and fell from the long grass.

Maddie slumped further down against Quinn, tempted to take a nap. The pleasant weight of a dreamless sleep sounded amazing. She peeked over at Andrew. He was still awake, which was promising. Part of her had worried he really would give up and go back to sleep, but she’d hoped so much that the sun would help wake him up.

Huh. Maybe Aunt Viv was onto something with her claims about nice weather helping him feel better.

Carefully watching over Andrew’s shoulder, Maddie waited until he reached the end of the chapter to casually say, “We should go swimming sometime.”

As much as she wanted to go swimming today—it was definitely warm enough that the water would feel wonderful—she wasn’t willing to push her luck.

Andrew looked up from his book and sighed. But not a bad sigh, a relaxed, happy one. “I think I’d like that, Maddie. I wouldn’t mind trying later.”

“Really?”

He laughed, and then seemed almost surprised that he did. “Really, really. I dunno how much fun I’ll be, though. I probably won’t be able to race or anything.”

“That’s fine,” she hurried to reassure him. Aunt Viv had mentioned something about how, instead of storing up all that energy from being in bed for so long, Andrew would actually keep feeling tired once he started moving around. “We can do whatever you want, okay? I just.” She shrugged and looked away. “I don’t mind what we do if we do it together.”

“Aw, Mads.” Andrew scooted closer to wrap his arm around her shoulder. “I didn’t mean to leave you alone for so long.”

She leaned her head onto his shoulder. “It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you, and I’m not mad. I’ve just really really missed you.”

With their books set aside, they stared across the backyard together.

Maddie gathered her courage. “Are we gonna be all right?”

“You and me? Of course. I—it might take longer than one afternoon, but I’ll keep feeling better and better every day. And if this was any indication, I think you’ll help a lot.”

She smiled briefly, happy to have helped at all, before it dropped and she was frowning. “But what about Mom?”

Andrew’s shoulder shifted beneath her as he took a deep breath. “I don’t know about Mom, Maddie. I wish I did. Has she been around, and I just haven’t seen her, or…?”

“The last time she came back was before we moved down here,” Maddie whispered. “And it was like she didn’t even see me.”

He didn’t respond right away. Maddie tried to imagine where their mom was right then, but she had never mentioned anything about what she did or where she went during her long trips away.

“I miss Dad,” she quietly admitted, and like every other time she started thinking about him, her vision went a little blurry with tears. “I bet he’d know what to do.”

“Yeah. I miss him, too. I keep thinking about how he—” His voice cracked and he shuddered. “And Mom’s probably acting like that because Dad’s gone.”

But why had Mom abandoned them, Maddie wanted to ask. Why couldn’t they all be sad together? And what had Andrew been about to say?

She kept her mouth shut, though, because Andrew was visibly pale and upset and she didn’t want to make it worse. She could pester him for answers some other time, when the wounds weren’t still so fresh, and he didn’t still look so fragile from weeks of doing nothing.

“We’ll be okay,” Andrew said suddenly, his voice stronger. “You and me, for sure, and someday, Mom too. It won’t hurt like this forever, and—and we’ll have each other’s backs while it does. You can drag me outside like this on my bad days, and on your bad days, I’ll, uh…”

“Give me ice cream.”

Andrew laughed. Each time he did, he sounded more like himself, more like the Andrew from before San Francisco. “Yeah, okay. On your bad days, I’ll give you ice cream. Deal?”

“Even better: pinky promise.” Maddie offered her right hand, pinky raised. Since his right arm was trapped between Maddie and Quinn, he wrapped his left pinky around hers and they shook on it.

They had only just let their arms drop when the back door to the house slid open and Aunt Viv stepped out on the back deck. She spotted them pretty quickly, and Maddie watched as realization crossed her face.

“Andrew?” she asked, sounding rather disbelieving. Aria glinted in the sun as she zipped over and hovered in front of them. Aunt Viv followed, stumbling when she seemed to refuse to take her eyes off the two of them.

“Hey, Aunt Viv,” he said. “Maddie… convinced me to come outside.”

Maddie smothered her snickers into Andrew’s shirt. Aunt Viv kneeled down at the edge of the nest. She reached out, her hand shaking ever so slightly, and rested her palm on his knee.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Pretty good,” he admitted. “Ender, too. We’re… doing okay.”

She nodded slowly. “I was just about to prepare lunch.” She looked pointedly at the snacks around them. “Provided you two are hungry.”

“Can we eat out here?” Maddie asked. “Please?”

Aunt Viv smiled softly. “I certainly don’t see why not. After all,” she said, patting Maddie’s leg with her other hand, “it’s a beautiful day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna be a bit of a time skip for the next chapter. >:) It's gonna be loads of fun! Yes, nothing bad will happen! Everything will be fine!
> 
> Love y'all! 
> 
> • [my tumblr](https://star-going-supernova.tumblr.com) •


	6. Antarctica, 2016

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m playing with some info I found on the wiki, because what is fic if not a playground?
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy!

“I’m so sorry, my darlings,” Aunt Viv said, for the ninth time by Maddie’s count, as the aircraft made its descent. “Your mother…”

“Was supposed to take us on Monday,” Andrew continued for her. “But was a no-show.”

“And we can’t stay at Castle Bravo because of the chemical accident last week,” Maddie added. The three of them had gone through every available option, eliminating each until they were left with accompanying Aunt Viv on this trip.

“And Doc and the Chens aren’t available right now. We know, Aunt Viv. We don’t blame you.”

Nevertheless, she gave them a genuinely apologetic look. Maddie felt a familiar surge of annoyance aimed towards her mother. This wasn’t the first time this had happened. It was the first time, though, that Aunt Viv hadn’t had any other choice but to bring them with her when she made her periodic trip to check on her project.

Quinn huddled against her neck, tucked in with a thick scarf, while Ender had taken the form of a snowy owl—though he hunched close to Andrew’s neck regardless.

“Lucky,” Quinn muttered as they left the heated aircraft for the freezing tundra of Antarctica. Ender chirped laughingly.

The violent wind nearly knocked Maddie off her feet, and Andrew grabbed her hand to steady her. She pressed against his side as they hurried to the entrance of the base, their gloved hands locked together.

The outpost wasn’t much warmer inside, especially since it was still being built, though it did block the wind. They followed Aunt Viv and their Monarch escorts down the hall to an elevator.

“What’s out here, anyway?” Maddie asked as they descended.

“That’s something we’d very much like to find out ourselves,” Aunt Viv told her. Aria quickly peeked her head out of a pocket on the front of her coat, only to duck back down just as fast. “There seems to be a Titan trapped in the ice, but it’s unlike any Titan we’ve seen before.”

“How so?” Andrew asked.

The elevator doors released them into a wide area full of scaffolding and crates and workers. As they emerged into the chaos, Maddie gaped up at the blue-tinted wall of ice—or rather, at what it held.

“Well,” Aunt Viv said, resting a hand on each of their shoulders. “For one thing, it has three heads.”

There was a monster in the ice. It had three long, thin necks with their heads frozen in snarls. Their devil’s horns and teeth looked deadly sharp even with the way the ice warped the image. Its body was harder to see, perhaps because it was set deeper into its prison, but the creature was clearly _massive_.

“Whoa,” Andrew breathed.

Quinn peeped fearfully and ducked her head further against Maddie’s jawline. “I don’t like it, Dove,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry,” Maddie whispered back, eyes glued to the ice. She raised her free hand—Andrew still held her other tightly—and stroked Quinn’s back. “It can’t hurt us, Quinn, I promise.”

“You said—for one thing.” Andrew twisted around to look at Aunt Viv. “What’s the other?”

She led them closer to it, where a makeshift monitoring station had been set up. Wires and stuff hung between the ice and the devices resting on the folding table. “When creatures are frozen in ice like this, they appear to be dead. Their systems shut down and their hearts stop until they’re revived. But this creature…”

Aunt Viv pressed a few buttons on one of the machines, and a moment later, a low, slow thumping was broadcast from the speakers.

“Its heart is still beating. And it shouldn’t be.”

A shiver stole up Maddie’s spine. Similarly, Quinn’s wings quivered. An ominous feeling built up in her stomach, standing before this wall of ice containing a monster that was very much alive—its teeth bared as if it had gone down fighting.

• • • 

The quarters for on-site personnel were the warmest part of the base. Quinn laid on the bed in her dragon form for Maddie to lean against as she worked on some homework for her online schooling. Andrew, with his socked feet propped up on the comforter, sat in the swivel chair from the desk. He had his sketchbook in his lap.

Ender, still a snowy owl, ran back and forth between them every few minutes. Seeing his fluffy feathered legs made Maddie giggle.

“You doing okay, Quinn?” she asked after a while.

Quinn sighed. “I feel much better. Such a monster… it was as if an alarm had gone off within me at the sight of it.”

Maddie ran her fingers through the feathers of Quinn’s nearest, outstretched wing. “I wonder why.”

Ender piped up then, and whatever he said made Quinn snort. Her tail flicked restlessly. “I would have good reason to fear it for only being a Titan, if that was the case. Our past experience does them no favors.”

Ender turned to Andrew and probably relayed what Quinn had said, because a dark look passed over Maddie’s brother face. “I can’t argue with that. Let’s be glad this one’s good and trapped.”

Maddie nodded slowly, remembering its teeth. “Which do you think was…” She waved her hand around, trying to think of a good word. Failing that, she started over. “I mean, do you think the rest of the Titans are more like Godzilla or the MUTOs?”

Quinn growled lowly. “I hope to never have cause to find out.”

Ender hooted loudly. “He’s being optimistic,” Andrew translated. “But I think…”

He went quiet. Maddie set her tablet aside and sat up. A peek at his sketchbook showed the ice wall, a shadowed form silhouetted within it.

“I think it doesn’t matter,” he finally continued. “Because if there’s even just one like the MUTOs, then there might be another San Francisco someday.”

She picked at the comforter, thinking about how she wanted to be optimistic like Ender, who was hopping over the bridge of Andrew’s legs to cuddle against his chest with a soft hoot.

Only time would tell, she supposed. But maybe no other Titans would wake up during her and Andrew’s lifetimes. Maybe they could at least be lucky about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. :) Maybe they’ll be lucky. :) I’m sure there’s nothing bad about the monster in the ice. :) He’s good and trapped. :)
> 
> You can probably expect some Mothra in the next chapter. :D
> 
> • [my tumblr](https://star-going-supernova.tumblr.com) •


	7. Outpost 61, 2019

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another big time skip! Y'all've been very patient so far, so here's the Titan interaction you've been waiting for. 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy!

Maddie closed her eyes and sighed happily. Quinn shifted beneath her as they rose higher into the air. The wind whipped through her hair and sent the corners of her jacket flapping behind her. She opened her eyes, taking in the brilliantly colored sunset stretching over the horizon, and throwing her arms wide in welcome.

The whole of the sky surrounded her, and Maddie felt like she could reach out and gather the clouds in her arms like wisps of soft cotton.

“You’ll make my feathers fall out,” Quinn complained. “Always letting go like that. What if you lose your balance, Dove?”

“Then you’ll catch me, Quinn!” Maddie shouted, laughing. She leaned up as much as she could, tempting fate. “You always do!”

Flying with her heart-dragon was quiet possibly Maddie’s most favorite thing in the world. It was exhilarating and freeing and caused a bright joy to bubble up inside her, wiping away any worries or unhappiness like a switch had been flipped. She was never more at peace and calm—on the inside, anyway; she whooped and hollered and laughed on the outside—than when she and Quinn were hundreds of feet in the air.

Some heart-dragons weren’t quite big enough to support their human, or the human outgrew their heart-dragon. Quinn, despite her relatively small avian form, had been large enough to support Maddie from the beginning.

She was different than most heart-dragons, though. For a reason no one could quite explain, prematurely settled heart-dragons tended to grow with their human, making it possible for them to fly together into adulthood. Quinn’s growth over the past five years proved they’d be part of that minority.

The sense of relief that reassurance gave Maddie was immense. This—their flights—wouldn’t ever have to end.

It’d only gotten more fun recently, too, ever since Mothra had emerged from her cocoon. And as if summoned, a piercing cry echoed over the forest.

Quinn wheeled around lazily, and the two of them watched Mothra surge into the air, heading in their direction. There were a few riderless heart-dragons fluttering around her, though they broke off and returned to the ground before long. Aria—small, delicate Aria, who had never been able to fly with Aunt Viv—was among them. Her glittery wings flashed in the golden sunlight before she disappeared below the tree line.

Finally dropping her hands back to Quinn’s neck, Maddie secured her knees in a solid grip, just in time for Quinn to pour on the speed.

They raced into the clouds, Maddie hunched low to her heart-dragon’s body, and she turned her head to watch Mothra follow them. With the size of her wings, the Titan caught up to them quickly.

Maddie waved as Quinn banked sharply, swooping around to avoid the air currents Mothra’s wings caused. She laughed giddily as Titan and heart-dragon chased each other around, nothing competitive about it, leaving her simply along for the ride.

Having a companion to fly with was wonderful. A part of Maddie’s heart would always ache for Andrew, and mourn that he and Ender couldn’t be up there with her and Quinn. She made sure to never mention their flights, and she did all she could to slip away when he was busy and not likely to notice her absence.

The days of Quinn taking Andrew and Ender for a ride had ended last Christmas, after his and Mom’s… _conversation_. She was sure she was still missing details from what had been said to cause such a rift, but what Andrew had admitted was horrifying enough.

But now was no time to get upset all over again. Andrew knew if he ever changed his mind, Quinn would always be willing to take him up.

Mothra trilled and leveled out, gliding steadily. With a roar, Quinn beat her wings harder to catch up and position herself in the air directly above Mothra, so they were gliding together.

Taking a deep breath of the fresh air, Maddie relaxed and let her head fall back. As the evening wore on, stars were starting to become visible overhead. They’d have to head back soon, or Andrew and Aunt Ling would worry.

Mom probably wouldn’t notice. Ever since the early success of the ORCA, she was constantly busy with it, fiddling and making notes. It weirded Maddie out, if she was honest. There were only two known Titans who were awake—Godzilla and Mothra—and neither was the type to do something that would require the ORCA’s interference. And since Monarch could find no indication that any other Titan was on their way to waking up, her mom’s obsessive insistence to perfect it was strange.

As darkness crept across the forest, Maddie leaned forward and put her hand on Quinn’s neck. Their individual reluctance and longing to keep flying bounced between them, amplifying the sensation.

“They’ll wonder where we are,” Maddie said, though she didn’t sound too convincing, even to herself.

“They’ll know exactly where we are,” Quinn countered.

It wasn’t every day Maddie had to be the voice of reason between the two of them. “But then they’ll lecture us on how dangerous it can be to fly in the dark.”

Quinn tossed her head and sighed. Preparing to pull up and head back to the temple, she growled over the rushing wind to Mothra. Heart-dragons, though not terribly similar at all to Titans, could communicate on some basic level, apparently. Unless that was just with Mothra. Maddie had no idea if any heart-dragons had even ever tried to talk to Godzilla, much less the MUTOs.

Instead of giving her customary goodbye chitter, which Maddie had come to be able to recognize, Mothra’s wings slowly lit up, bright enough to provide decent light, but not so much so that her companions would be blinded. She trilled.

“This way, we can take the long way back together,” Quinn translated for Maddie. “And—” She made a surprised noise in the back of her throat before she swooped down and carefully landed on Mothra’s back.

“Quinn?”

Quinn barked a laugh. “We have graciously been offered a ride, Dove.”

Maddie took a second to really process that before she laughed as well. “I’m riding a heart-dragon who’s riding a Titan! Wait till I tell Andrew!”

And then, a tentative little idea sparked to life in Maddie’s head. She let it grow for a moment before setting it aside to consider later. For now, she smiled as Quinn laid down to rest on Mothra’s back, and Maddie slid off to lean against her neck and stroke the side of her heart-dragon’s head.

Even with Mothra’s light wrapping around them, the stars still glittered brightly overhead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kinda part one of a two parter, but only in that the next chapter builds off something mentioned in this one. 
> 
> Love y'all! 
> 
> • [my tumblr](https://star-going-supernova.tumblr.com) •


	8. Outpost 61, 2019

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww, everyone's so nice and happy! :)
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy!

This was the best idea Maddie had ever had. She laughed giddily as Quinn tilted and went into a wide circle around their slow-moving companions.

“I,” Andrew announced loudly, sounding about as startled and mystified as he’d been when Maddie first presented her idea, “am sitting on a Titan!” 

Mothra chirped in unmistakable laughter.

“Great job, Andrew!” Maddie called over in the sort of voice one would use to encourage small children. “Now list at least two things you can see!”

“Shut _up!”_

Quinn rumbled with laughter and beat her wings to go higher. Mothra followed close behind, trilling, almost like a song.

“How’re you doing?” she shouted over her shoulder. Quinn pulled back a bit so they were flying directly over Mothra. She leaned back to peer past her heart-dragon’s wings at her brother. Ender, as some large falcon or something, stood in front of him, his single wing extended away from him, tipping and tilting in time with Mothra’s movements.

Andrew laughed. “I kind of can’t believe this is actually happening, but it’s amazing! A couple years ago, you couldn’t have paid me to try this.”

“Ender would’ve.”

Ender screeched, and even Maddie knew he was agreeing with her.

“Not all Titans are bad,” Andrew said wonderingly. They were the same words Maddie had told him yesterday when she explained this idea to him, after getting Mothra’s go-ahead. The words Aunt Viv and Dr. Serizawa and half a dozen other members of their extended Monarch family had used to remind them that the nightmare of San Francisco was over and done with.

Not all Titans are bad.

So simple. But in the beginning, so hard to believe.

Their experience with the terrifying Monster Zero hadn’t helped, but the first time they’d been allowed to see Mothra’s egg had. Aunt Ilene and Aunt Ling had told them all about the different myths surrounding Mothra, who by all accounts, was a friend to humanity.

It’d felt a tiny bit like exposure therapy or something, but Maddie couldn’t be mad about it when it had worked out the way it did. Mothra’s hatching hadn’t scared any of them. It’d been exciting and beautiful, and now Maddie and Quinn had a wonderful flying companion.

Maddie felt like she was on top of the world, and not just because she and Quinn were so high up. Everything was just… good. It was good. Mom had been slightly less distant with her recently. Her online schoolwork was a breeze. Andrew and Ender were flying with her, even if it wasn’t under their own power. Mothra was something of a friend, she hoped. In a week, she and Andrew would go to meet up with Aunt Viv, who’d left recently for a conference in the States, and Dr. Serizawa to stay at Castle Bravo for a while.

If they were lucky—and they usually were—they could convince G-team to have some unsanctioned fun with one of the Ospreys, and Colonel Foster would shake her head and look the other way. Jumping out of a helicopter into the ocean was _fun_.

Life was good, and Maddie whooped her happiness into the clouds and up at the stars and over the whole forest. And maybe, at long last, it would stay good.

She wasn’t sure how long they all flew together before Quinn and Mothra seemed to come to the silent agreement to beginning heading back to the outpost. They slowly spiraled around each other as they descended closer to the ground. After having so much fun, Maddie couldn’t even bring herself to groan about it being over.

The pure, beaming smile on Andrew’s face warmed her to her core, and she wished she could save this evening forever and ever. Maddie hopped off Quinn so she could go and bring Andrew and Ender down from Mothra’s back.

Her brother’s hair was sticking up all over the place, his cheeks were pink with windburn, and he was shivering lightly in his long-sleeved shirt. And yet, he’d never looked happier. Andrew worked his jaw, but couldn’t seem to get any words out around his absolutely massive smile.

“You look kinda crazy,” she told him. She slipped her leather jacket off and held it out. He took it without seeming to notice. “There’s no way your face doesn’t hurt from that expression.”

Andrew absently pulled the jacket up his arms. It had belonged to their dad, and her weed of a brother hadn’t grown so much that it didn’t fit him. Where it was obviously large on her, it looked to be just Andrew’s size.

“I don’t even care, Mads,” he said. “My cheeks are killing me, actually, but nothing matters except that that was the best thing ever.”

“I’ll definitely take credit for the idea, but,” she nodded at Mothra, patiently standing beside them, “you should probably make sure she knows that.”

“I was gonna!” he protested, reaching out to mess up her hair.

“Hey!”

Elbowing each other, as siblings were wont to do, they finally turned to Mothra, identically sincere grins on their faces. “Thank you,” Andrew said, breathless. “Thank you so much for letting me fly with you, Mothra.”

“It means a lot to us both,” Maddie added.

Mothra trilled lightly, lifting her glowing wings.

They looked over to where Ender was perched on Quinn’s head. “She says she was happy to,” Quinn translated for Maddie, while Ender presumably did the same for Andrew. “And that you were both a delight to fly with.”

Andrew subtly swiped at his eyes and took in a shaky breath. “Same time next week?” he joked.

Quinn waited for Mothra to finish chittering before she ruffled her own wings and answered, “Perhaps with some planning, the five of us might go for a little weekend camping trip?”

“Seriously? That’d be awesome!” Maddie said, beaming.

“Totally awesome,” Andrew parroted. He looked a little blown away by the offer. “We’ll figure things out with our aunts, and then—” He ducked his head, and Maddie jabbed at his side, teased, “Aww, is Andrew suddenly shy?”

“No,” he loudly protested. “I just—stop it—we can go exploring. Together, yeah?”

Letting up on her poking, Maddie nodded. “Together, all five of us. You, me, our heart-dragons, and the Queen of Titans.” She snorted. “Who’d have thunk, right? Us and a Titan.”

“It’s called _growth_ , Maddie,” he muttered, and then over the sound of her wheezing laughter, said to Mothra, “Thank you, again. For tonight and the offer. I— _we_ —look forward to it.”

(They never got the chance to go. Everything—their lives, their family, the _world_ —all went to hell only a few days later.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops? >:)
> 
> • [my tumblr](https://star-going-supernova.tumblr.com) •


End file.
